I desperately wanted to like this book the second time I read it. When I read it for the first time about four years ago, I felt surprised that so manI desperately wanted to like this book the second time I read it. When I read it for the first time about four years ago, I felt surprised that so many people liked it, and in the ensuing years, I continued to find that many of my friends were impressed by it. My rereading was an attempt to give it a fair chance. However, I rediscovered the same problems: the author's points were either poorly argued or regurgitated from other sources. Everything he wrote that was original I disagreed with, and everything I found to be true I have found in other sources both better written and more persuasively argued. ...more

This is not a book to read from cover to cover in a short period of time. I read it over nearly a year, reading a section or two several times a week.This is not a book to read from cover to cover in a short period of time. I read it over nearly a year, reading a section or two several times a week. It's full of suggestions for parents working with their children practicing instruments. I think many of them could apply to teaching children any skill. I will continue to turn to it in the future as I struggle with the ways I can best help my children develop....more

Charlotte Mason, who wrote nearly a hundred years ago but I find still timely now, envisions an education for everyone not with the purpose of futureCharlotte Mason, who wrote nearly a hundred years ago but I find still timely now, envisions an education for everyone not with the purpose of future job training or material gain but for the enrichment of each individual's soul. This education is achieved through a wide and varied reading. In her words, "Treat children in this reasonable way, mind to mind; not so much the mind of the teacher to that of the child . . . but the minds of a score of thinkers who meet the children, mind to mind, in their several books, the teacher performing the graceful office of presenting the one enthusiastic mind to the other." If they do this, with books that are well planned "so that the knowledge is not scrappy and insecure," they gain food for their souls that can benefit them their whole life. I have been trying to follow her lead for two years now as I educate my family, and while my efforts have been far from perfect, the results have been promising. My favorite book I have ever read on education, "Towards a Philosophy of Education" is one I plan to reread frequently because I highlighted nearly 25% of what I read. Again, in her words that I have found true in my family, "The introduction of the methods I advocate has a curious effect on a whole family . . . . The whole household thinks of and figures to itself great things, for nothing is so catching as knowledge and that fine temper of mind that knowledge brings with it."...more

Completely different from other books I have read about homeschooling, this book is a sociological study of homeschoolers and the homeschooling movemeCompletely different from other books I have read about homeschooling, this book is a sociological study of homeschoolers and the homeschooling movement. From it I gained an understanding of the history of the homeschooling movement in America and the controversy between homeschoolers as they try to agree on political issues. I also came to understand that parents gain as much or more from homeschooling as their children do. In my opinion, this is essential reading for anyone involved in homeschooling advocacy....more

While this book covers the material for an introduction to logic, it does not do so in a manner that enables learning. Nance's approach seems to be inWhile this book covers the material for an introduction to logic, it does not do so in a manner that enables learning. Nance's approach seems to be introducing the material in a succinct way and then expecting the students to regurgitate the text verbatim for the test. The book would have been better if it included more exercises with each section and was written in a more conversational style, with more examples for each concept. The tests would be better if they focused on understanding and knowledge instead of just memorization. Too many of the questions involved writing out definitions of terms. I am looking elsewhere for a better introduction to logic for my next four children....more

My favorite education/homeschooling book ever. It started me on a perpetual quest to learn about and incorporate Charlotte Mason's educational philosoMy favorite education/homeschooling book ever. It started me on a perpetual quest to learn about and incorporate Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy....more

Because it was originally published in 1905, the tone and some of the content seem quaint and antiquated. In spite of that, Ourselves ranks among theBecause it was originally published in 1905, the tone and some of the content seem quaint and antiquated. In spite of that, Ourselves ranks among the most worthwhile books I have read to my children. An openly Christian book written to help children develop good character, it is divided into two books. The first, "Self-Knowledge," is for children under 16 and the other, "Self-Direction," is for children 16 and older. Because of the density of the text, we read it a few paragraphs at a time at breakfast over two school years. I intend to read it to them again when my younger children are older.

There doesn't seem to be an area of life that Charlotte Mason doesn't address and impart wisdom about. For example, when she talks about relieving the suffering of other people, she writes, "It is usually in our way, and not by going out of our way, that we shall find the particular piece of brotherly work appointed for us to do. . . . But we must keep our eyes open: the right thing is never obtrusive, and we may pass it by without observation."

How much I gained from this book! If my children gleaned just a morsel of what I did, the reading was worthwhile. ...more

Math for All Seasons takes the reader through the four seasons with brief riddles in verse form. While the verses are not well-written, they do encourMath for All Seasons takes the reader through the four seasons with brief riddles in verse form. While the verses are not well-written, they do encourage the five-to-eight-year-old child to try to solve counting problems in different ways. Through hints in the riddles, a child learns to group objects into 2s, 5s, and 10s, then sometimes to subtract 1, 2, or 3 to arrive at a final answer. It helped my five-year old get the idea of grouping things to count them, which is a good foundation for skip counting, multiplication, and creative problem solving in general....more